Myanmar junta not in mood to free Suu Kyi

With the addition of seven more years, Suu Kyi's total number of jail years have gone up to 33 years. Most of her life has been spent in jail or house arrest.

New Delhi, Dec 31: After a brief love affair with democracy, Myanmar is again on the much travelled road of dictatorship under a military junta. There does not seem to be fresh air for democracy to survive. The latest decision by the Myanmar military court to sentence Aung San Suu Kyi to a further seven years just shows the country's rulers don't want democracy to 'breath'.

With the addition of seven more years, Suu Kyi's total number of jail years have gone up to 33 years. It's not that she has not been to jail in Myanmar, in fact, most of her life has been spent in jail or house arrest. The banana republic of Myanmar does not want the former democratically-elected leader as she is a threat to their dominance.

Her party had won the democratically held elections and formed the government headed by one of her aides. But the government was toppled in February 2021 by the junta and ever since she has been under house arrest. She was tried for 19 charges which, according to her supporters, are all false and won't sustain under a fair trial. But fair trial is the last thing anyone could expect in a military ruler.

16,000+ under arrest on 'fabricated' charges

The 77-year-old Nobel laureate, Suu Kyi is not the only citizen of Myanmar who is suffering under the junta. There are more than 16,000 citizens who have been put under arrest along with her as the government tried them for various 'fabricated' crimes. Most of these arrested people have been put in various jails in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw.

Last week, the UN Security Council called for an end to violence in Myanmar. The international body also sought the immediate release of all the political prisoners put either under house arrest or in jail. Apart from the Security Council, Amnesty International has also sought the release of political prisoners in the hands of the military junta.

Extrajudicial killings

It's not that the military junta is not facing protests for its dictatorial activities but it has been ruthless. Additionally, the military rulers are receiving tacit support from the Chinese regime which is known for its anti-democratic ideology and approach. Needless to say, the military's violent seizure of power last February triggered widespread demonstrations in the country.

Apart from illegal jailing of political activists, the Myanmar regime is also accused of extrajudicial killings and launching airstrikes on civilian villages. According to reports, nearly 2,600 people have been killed in the military's crackdown on dissidents so far.